Studies on vowel quality have become fundamental in many acoustic research works on vowels and it has received some great deal of research attention by many phoneticians across the world. This study discuss an acoustic analysis of male and female speakers’ production of the Vowels of Asante Twi of the Akan Language in relation to their gender. Sixteen vowels of Asante Twi were put in monosyllabic words for four respondents (2 males 2 females) to say them. The voices were recorded with a Huawei Y9 android smart phone and analysed with PRAAT. The data revealed that female speakers have higher pitch in the production of the Twi vowels as compared to the male speakers. In addition, female speakers’ production of vowels, particularly the back vowels have higher intensity than that of the male speakers whiles duration in nasal vowels appear to be longer than the oral vowels for both males and females. Among other things, the study revealed that there exist a direct relationship between the gender or a speaker and the quality of vowel expected produced by a speaker as far as the production of Vowels of Asante Twi are concerned.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. METHODOLOGY
2.1 POPULATION
2.2 DATA RECORDING PROCEDURE
3. DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
3.1 ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ON PITCH
3.2 ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ON INTENSITY
3.3 ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ON DURATION
3.4 ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ON FORMANT FREEQUENCIES
4. CONCLUSION
Research Objectives and Focus
This study aims to conduct an acoustic analysis of the vowel production in the Asante Twi dialect of the Akan language, specifically examining how gender influences speech patterns. The research investigates potential variations in pronunciation between male and female speakers by analyzing specific acoustic parameters.
- Comparison of pitch levels between male and female speakers during vowel production.
- Analysis of intensity variations in back, front, and nasal vowels.
- Examination of duration differences between oral and nasal vowels across genders.
- Evaluation of formant frequencies (F1 and F2) as indicators of gender-based speech differences.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION ON PITCH
The data recorded showed that generally, females have a much higher pitch in the production of the vowels as compared to men. Acoustically, the least value of pitch recorded for the female speakers is 217.3Hz as compared to the highest pitch value of 184.7 recorded by the male speakers The high front and back vowels /i/, /ɪ/, / u / and /Ʊ/ recorded pitch values of 275.1 Hz, 271.5 Hz, 269.8 Hz, 266.45 Hz, and 274.2 Hz, 247.7 Hz, 277.7 Hz, 262.7 Hz for the two female speakers R5F and R4F respectively. These results comparatively are much higher than the values recorded for the male speakers R1M and R2M respectively 164.4Hz, 184.7Hz, 177.9Hz, 165.1Hz and 117.2Hz, 154.9Hz, 153.2Hz, 160.9Hz. The nasal vowels /Ĩ/, /ã/, / Ʊ˜ /and / ũ / recorded an average pitch of 255.8Hz by the female speakers and an average pitch of 156.1Hz for the male speakers this perhaps buttresses the idea that females speak with a much faster vibration of the vocal cords as compared to males. Table 2 shows the pitch in (Hz) values for male (R1M, R2M) and Female (R4M, R5M) Values.
Summary of Chapters
1. INTRODUCTION: This chapter introduces the significance of vowels in spoken language and defines the research objective, which is to analyze vowel pronunciation in Asante Twi through the lens of gender.
2. METHODOLOGY: This section details the qualitative approach taken, including the demographic selection of native speakers and the specific recording procedure utilized to capture high-quality acoustic data.
3. DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION: This core section presents the comparative analysis of pitch, intensity, duration, and formant frequencies between male and female participants, supported by tables and spectrograms.
4. CONCLUSION: This chapter summarizes the findings, confirming that gender is a significant factor in the quality of vowel production, as evidenced by observed variations in pitch and intensity.
Keywords
Acoustic, vowel quality, PRAAT, intensity, duration, pitch, gender, Asante Twi, Akan language, formant frequencies, speech analysis, phonetics, oral vowels, nasal vowels, linguistic variation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this research?
The research focuses on the acoustic analysis of vowel production in the Asante Twi dialect of the Akan language, examining how speaker gender influences phonetic qualities.
What are the primary thematic areas?
The key themes include acoustic parameter measurement, gender-based speech variance, vowel quality, and formant frequency analysis.
What is the primary objective of this study?
The study aims to determine if there are significant differences in the pronunciation of Asante Twi vowels between male and female speakers using acoustic data.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The study uses a qualitative, observational approach, employing PRAAT software to analyze acoustic recordings of sixteen vowels from four native speakers.
What is covered in the main body of the work?
The main body provides detailed data analysis regarding pitch, intensity, duration, and formant frequencies (F1 and F2), supported by experimental results.
Which keywords best characterize the study?
Key terms include Acoustic, Vowel Quality, PRAAT, Pitch, Intensity, Duration, and Gender.
How does pitch differ between genders in this study?
The study found that female speakers consistently exhibit significantly higher pitch values in vowel production compared to their male counterparts.
What relationship exists between intensity and vowel type?
The data suggests that back vowels generally exhibit higher intensities than front vowels, with female speakers recording higher intensities in nasal vowels than males.
Why were the recordings performed at one-meter intervals?
The distance was maintained to prevent plosive sounds from becoming overly audible due to their explosive nature, ensuring a clearer recording of the vowels.
What did the analysis reveal regarding formant frequencies?
The study found that most F1 values were higher for females, while F2 values showed specific variations in high back vowels depending on the gender of the speaker.
- Quote paper
- Emmanuel Appiah Gyasi (Author), 2021, Gender Roles on Vowel Quality. A Spectographic Study on Asante Twi, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1128774
